Deity Investigation Report

Chapter 213 See you again soon
Han Su was momentarily dazed, but after taking a closer look, he was sure he hadn't misread it.

Black, old box.

The eight corners of the box are all wrapped with copper, making it appear sturdy and heavier, and giving it an old, weathered look, as if it had never seen the light of day for many years and had been sealed away somewhere unknown.

But the box was still very familiar to me.

Because less than 24 hours ago, he had just been carrying it, preparing to take something out of the castle.

In his memory, there was no trace of it leaving the castle with him. It was as if it had disappeared from the world the moment it left the castle with him. But now, it had suddenly appeared before him as a special reward.

He even needed more than ten seconds to calm himself down before he muttered to himself with a slightly hesitant tone:

"This is……"

"..."

As if receiving his voice, Miss Ai's reply began to appear on the black screen:
[Class C Special Item No. 017 - Black Suitcase.]

This item was seized and recovered six years ago during a smuggling operation involving artifacts from ancient ruins. Testing by researchers revealed its unique material, possessing bulletproof and psychic resistance properties, classifying it as an unusual item. However, no other functions were discovered.

[Due to its unusual and unique characteristics, it was specially approved for use by Zhang Chiguo, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, a special operations officer. However, it was sealed away after the Disaster Management Bureau made technological advancements and manufactured a box with superior performance.]

[Several advanced options were rejected in this special mission reward application; only this chest was approved.]

[Although it's only a C-grade special item, please make good use of it, Mr. Butcher, and continue to contribute to the defense of reality!]

【…】

"This box was used by Uncle Zhang?"

Han Su's surprise intensified, as if he had truly touched upon the complex and real intertwined destinies.

But this also brought forth more doubts in my mind.

Theoretically, even along this life path, this is a box that I brought out of the castle ten years ago. It has existed in this world for ten years, so how could it have been seized by someone only six years ago, and even used by Zhang Chiguo for a period of time afterward?
He had a strong intuition that led him to vaguely form a guess.

He slowly lifted the box, gave it a gentle shake, and then suddenly said, "This box should be empty, right?"

【Yes! 】

Ms. Ai replied quickly: "The Disaster Management Bureau is very meticulous in distributing special rewards. This item was checked as soon as it appeared in the special reward options, and it was scanned multiple times before distribution. The box and hidden compartment were empty."

That makes sense. Since the disaster management agency is going to give you a box, why would you think about putting anything else in it?
but……

Han Su showed no abnormality, but the surprise and doubt in his heart did not dissipate for a moment.

My mental activity reached 71%, and my perception in all aspects was significantly improved.

I barely tried to lift the box before I discovered...

...There seems to be something inside this box?

……

Having already formed a suspicion in his mind, Han Su was eager to return to a safe place to investigate.

He quickly messaged Miss Ai: "Why did you think of giving me this box?"

I've gotten used to Miss Ai's way of talking to me. Sometimes I need to be careful, but not that careful.

As he examined the box, he looked up, waiting for Miss Ai's reply, and saw the screen flicker for a moment.

Immediately following was a neat and concise message: [The black briefcase is a reward for a special mission!]

[Based on investigators' assessment of A+ level pollution...]

【…】

Before the mechanical, repetitive text could fully appear, the screen flickered again, and Miss Ai's familiar voice rang out: "Because Mr. Butcher, who is about to be promoted to independent investigator, should also have a box to match his status!"

Miss Ai did tell me that some skilled investigators preferred to use old boxes.

but……

The flickering screen and the two different tones suddenly made Han Su feel extremely uneasy.

He tapped rapidly: "Miss Ai, are you...?"

I didn't even know how to ask.

But it seemed Miss Ai had also noticed the text in the input box, as a gentle message popped up: "Out of vigilance against intelligent machinery and to conserve computing power, unnecessary computing power will be blocked. Currently, the sealing of the mysterious machinery is underway."

"what?"

Han Su felt a chill run down his spine; the whole world seemed to be violently shaken.

He even felt a sense of impending doom, and after a moment of stunned silence, he immediately began to strike rapidly with a series of rapid taps.

In his haste, he even made a few typos: "Why did it turn out this way? Is it because of what happened this time?"

"Miss Ai, you paid such a high price for this?"

"..."

Wasn't Miss Ai supposed to have a lock on her this time? How come it turned out that her excess computing power was locked?

Amidst Han Su's tension and urgency, Miss Ai's words flowed with a gentle and relaxed quality: "[Mr. Butcher has the resolve to step out of the comfort zone of reality; seeing clearly the enemy lurking in the shadows is essential.] [But there's no need to worry about a brief separation; all the costs have been meticulously calculated.]"

True spirit cannot be locked away. I am simply completing my current task and moving on to another place where I am needed more to fight the enemy.

But please believe me, Mr. Butcher, I will always be by your side.

【…】

Lines of text appeared and disappeared rapidly, much like Miss Ai's habitual erasure, leaving only a few rigid and mechanical replies on the screen.

But Han Su only felt anxious: "Then what do I need to do for you? When can I help you...?"

He suddenly realized that the text he was typing could not be successfully entered into the program, as if Miss Ai was preventing him from doing so.

On the screen, Miss Ai did not reply in text form again. In the lounge, her gentle electronic voice rang out: "The first lock has been opened. I look forward to the day when I can have a free and open conversation with Mr. Butcher."

"I know Mr. Butcher has many questions for you, but for now, this is all I can answer:"

"Sometimes, when faced with a war where the odds are stacked against us, winning or losing isn't what we should be thinking about most; the courage to face our opponents is."

"Goodbye, Mr. Butcher!"

"..."

"..."

Why do we have to say goodbye already?
Han Su sat there for a long time, feeling that it had all happened so suddenly.

Miss Ai was just jokingly saying that she would say "goodbye" before parting ways, so why did she say it so soon?

Does Miss Ai really need to pay such a high price for this?
She rushed to get the report approved for herself, raised her rating to S, distanced herself from the investigator's disappearance, resolved any potential problems, and even returned the box to her—all because…

...Is she about to be locked up?
……

Han Su sat there for a long time, staring at the empty screen, feeling a tightness in his chest.

Looking at the black screen in front of me, I could still see "Ms. Ai" from the Disaster Management Bureau, who was still available to reply at any time.

But the "Miss Ai" I knew was no longer there.

He sat there for a long time, then suddenly stood up, picked up his suitcase, and left.

The disaster management bureau outside has suddenly become tense. At this time, the contamination of the Mother Tree has been resolved, but the cleanup work has just begun. The deaths or disappearances of a large number of investigators have also had a huge impact.

The vast Disaster Management Agency base was tense and chaotic, with armed personnel sealing off key rest areas and large amounts of data. This tension would remain at the Disaster Management Agency base until the causes of death and the number of missing persons among all investigators and operational personnel were determined.

It wasn't that no one wanted to come and take Han Su directly for questioning, but none of them received approval.

Han Su took the two suitcases and returned to his apartment by taxi. He first checked his apartment to make sure there were no signs of forced entry, and then looked around with his right eye to make sure there were no traces of mysterious power before sitting down on the sofa.

This black box is placed in front of me.

From a life perspective, there shouldn't be anything in this box.

After all, ten years had passed since he escaped the castle, and the box had been used by other people along the way.

But Han Su knew that all of this had been planned in advance, and he had a strong intuition about it.

He almost held his breath as he slowly opened the latches on the box and lifted it up little by little.

Then, the moment the box was opened, his pupils dilated violently.

He saw a book with a black cover and strange characters inlaid with copper patterns, lying quietly in the box.

I put this in myself when I left the castle.

Beside the books were an old pair of glasses and an exquisite pocket watch, both brought from the castle.

For a fleeting moment, I felt a chill run down my spine, as if the whole reality was unreal.

But the guesses along the way, combined with the accumulation of mysterious knowledge, allowed Han Su to slowly piece together an answer for himself after his initial astonishment.

In the mysterious world, "knowing" and "contact" are crucial elements.

When I left the castle, I personally put this book into the box, but no one else knew about it. They didn't know it existed, nor did they know its name or appearance. As an item in the castle, it didn't belong to reality.

Because they didn't know, the person who opened the box earlier couldn't see this book that didn't belong to reality.

Only ten years later did I obtain this box.

Because it knew what was in the box, it appeared inside the box.

"Miss Ai..."

"So all of this was because she risked exposing herself to leave it all to me?"

"A submitted report, a vial of bronze-colored blood, a reputation established within the Disaster Management Bureau..."

"And there's another woman emerging from the darkness!"

"But is it really worth Miss Ai paying such a high price?"

(End of this chapter)